Last Modified: Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 7:25 a.m.

Marion County Judge Sarah Ritterhoff Williams appointed a public defender to represent Love and ordered him held without bond.

Love, 63, is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his 75-year-old roommate at The Vines Hospital on Friday afternoon. He is also accused of raping the man, who was found pinned under a mattress in their room at the psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facility in Ocala.

During the hearing Saturday, when the judge listed the charges, Love could be heard mumbling, "I didn't realize it."

Love, whose right forearm was wrapped in a white bandage, was first wheeled to the courtroom entrance, then was escorted by two corrections officers to the podium, where he stood before Ritterhoff Williams at the Marion County Jail. He was barefoot and was wearing a suicide prevention gown -- a striped, white and faded blue, shin-length gown -- and brown pants. His hands were shackled to a brown belt around his waist.

The white-haired man, along with several other corrections officers, together with a public defender and a state attorney official, were nearby as he made his first appearance, separated from other inmates.

Love told the judge he had served in the Marine Corps and gave her information about his bank account.

However, when asked about the value of his property, Love said: "Property, property, property, property." He said it was worth "two cents."

Love, records showed, had been committed to The Vines under the Baker Act, which is designed to protect mentally unstable people from harming themselves or others.

Attack at The Vines

Ocala Police Department officers were called to The Vines, 3130 SW 27th Ave., at about 4:45 p.m. Friday. They were told the victim, Ramon Sanchez, was being treated by emergency personnel and had been taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at about 5 p.m., according to an OPD arrest report.

Detective Mike Bowman, who investigated the death, was told that two employees were conducting room checks and, entering one of the rooms, saw Love on top of a mattress that had been removed from the victim's bed, according to OPD officials. One of the employees said the mattress was between two beds, and Love was on top of it, apparently simulating sexual intercourse with it.

The workers looked closer and saw Sanchez under the mattress. He was unresponsive and blue, according to OPD officials. One of the employees yelled at Love to get off the mattress, and he shouted at her, ordering her to get out of the room.

She ran for help. It took several people to pull him off the mattress as he was fighting with them, according to OPD.

An employee took the mattress off Sanchez and attempted to revive him. The employee told police the victim was lying face down and that his underwear had been pulled down.

Employees continued to work on the victim until medical personnel arrived.

Police officials said they believe Sanchez died because he was pinned between the mattress and the floor while Love was on top of the mattress.

Bowman interviewed Love, who admitted having sex with the victim and admitted harming him, according to an arrest report. In further talks with the detective, Love talked about how he had a fire drill, and he was in the Marines, and he took Sanchez down for the purpose of saving his life because there was a sniper. The drill, Love said, got out of hand when he was trying to do the right thing, Love said.

Sanchez, Love told the detective, didn't agree with the fire drill.

An autopsy was conducted Saturday to determine the cause of death, but there was no word on the results of the autopsy.

Mental health issues

On Nov. 28, Love had been taken to The Vines under the Baker Act, after a neighbor at the Fairfield Village retirement community contacted authorities, according to a Marion County Sheriff's Office report.

The woman, who called the Sheriff's Office at 4:22 p.m. on Nov. 28, told deputies Love was not acting like himself and that she feared he might not be taking his prescribed medication.

Deputies said they found that Love was being irrational. What he was saying didn't make sense, they reported, and he would jump from subject to subject while talking.

Love told them he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was manic depressive, according to the report. He also said he had stopped taking his medication because he didn't need it.

About a year earlier, on Dec. 4, 2011, Love had been taken to The Centers in Ocala, also under the Baker Act, after he made threats.

According to a Sheriff's Office report, he threatened all the women at Micanopy Assisted Living Inc. in Micanopy, saying they all needed to be mutilated by dawn.

A deputy reported that Love's medication had been changed and he had not reacted well to the new meds.

Court records show that on Nov. 13, 2012, there was a petition for involuntary inpatient placement for Sanchez. The plaintiff was listed as The Vines, while Sanchez was listed as the defendant.

The next day, a Baker Act hearing was set, and another order for involuntary inpatient placement was noted.

There was another order, also on Nov. 14, appointing a guardian advocate. Beside the guardian advocate was the name Frances Sanchez, and in brackets, it said spouse.

Also on the same day, records state there was an order authorizing the guardian advocate to consent to the involuntary administration of medication.

On Nov. 29, it lists a notice of discharge with no explanation.

Scott Price, director of business development for The Vines, offered this statement Saturday night:

"Since becoming aware of the alleged incident, the management and staff of The Vines Hospital have cooperated fully with all the authorities concerned with this investigation and will continue to do so until its completion. The hospital is precluded from discussing specific details of any individual case due to strict patient confidentiality and privacy laws."

<p>Sometimes giving a cogent answer and sometimes repeating words nonsensically, murder and rape suspect Christopher J. Love made his initial court appearance Saturday morning.</p><p>Marion County Judge Sarah Ritterhoff Williams appointed a public defender to represent Love and ordered him held without bond.</p><p>Love, 63, is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his 75-year-old roommate at The Vines Hospital on Friday afternoon. He is also accused of raping the man, who was found pinned under a mattress in their room at the psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facility in Ocala.</p><p>During the hearing Saturday, when the judge listed the charges, Love could be heard mumbling, "I didn't realize it."</p><p>Love, whose right forearm was wrapped in a white bandage, was first wheeled to the courtroom entrance, then was escorted by two corrections officers to the podium, where he stood before Ritterhoff Williams at the Marion County Jail. He was barefoot and was wearing a suicide prevention gown -- a striped, white and faded blue, shin-length gown -- and brown pants. His hands were shackled to a brown belt around his waist.</p><p>The white-haired man, along with several other corrections officers, together with a public defender and a state attorney official, were nearby as he made his first appearance, separated from other inmates.</p><p>Love told the judge he had served in the Marine Corps and gave her information about his bank account.</p><p>However, when asked about the value of his property, Love said: "Property, property, property, property." He said it was worth "two cents."</p><p>Love, records showed, had been committed to The Vines under the Baker Act, which is designed to protect mentally unstable people from harming themselves or others.</p><h3>Attack at The Vines</h3>
<p>Ocala Police Department officers were called to The Vines, 3130 SW 27th Ave., at about 4:45 p.m. Friday. They were told the victim, Ramon Sanchez, was being treated by emergency personnel and had been taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at about 5 p.m., according to an OPD arrest report.</p><p>Detective Mike Bowman, who investigated the death, was told that two employees were conducting room checks and, entering one of the rooms, saw Love on top of a mattress that had been removed from the victim's bed, according to OPD officials. One of the employees said the mattress was between two beds, and Love was on top of it, apparently simulating sexual intercourse with it.</p><p>The workers looked closer and saw Sanchez under the mattress. He was unresponsive and blue, according to OPD officials. One of the employees yelled at Love to get off the mattress, and he shouted at her, ordering her to get out of the room.</p><p>She ran for help. It took several people to pull him off the mattress as he was fighting with them, according to OPD.</p><p>An employee took the mattress off Sanchez and attempted to revive him. The employee told police the victim was lying face down and that his underwear had been pulled down.</p><p>Employees continued to work on the victim until medical personnel arrived.</p><p>Police officials said they believe Sanchez died because he was pinned between the mattress and the floor while Love was on top of the mattress.</p><p>Bowman interviewed Love, who admitted having sex with the victim and admitted harming him, according to an arrest report. In further talks with the detective, Love talked about how he had a fire drill, and he was in the Marines, and he took Sanchez down for the purpose of saving his life because there was a sniper. The drill, Love said, got out of hand when he was trying to do the right thing, Love said.</p><p>Sanchez, Love told the detective, didn't agree with the fire drill.</p><p>An autopsy was conducted Saturday to determine the cause of death, but there was no word on the results of the autopsy.</p><h3>Mental health issues</h3>
<p>On Nov. 28, Love had been taken to The Vines under the Baker Act, after a neighbor at the Fairfield Village retirement community contacted authorities, according to a Marion County Sheriff's Office report.</p><p>The woman, who called the Sheriff's Office at 4:22 p.m. on Nov. 28, told deputies Love was not acting like himself and that she feared he might not be taking his prescribed medication.</p><p>Deputies said they found that Love was being irrational. What he was saying didn't make sense, they reported, and he would jump from subject to subject while talking.</p><p>Love told them he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was manic depressive, according to the report. He also said he had stopped taking his medication because he didn't need it.</p><p>About a year earlier, on Dec. 4, 2011, Love had been taken to The Centers in Ocala, also under the Baker Act, after he made threats.</p><p>According to a Sheriff's Office report, he threatened all the women at Micanopy Assisted Living Inc. in Micanopy, saying they all needed to be mutilated by dawn.</p><p>A deputy reported that Love's medication had been changed and he had not reacted well to the new meds.</p><p>Court records show that on Nov. 13, 2012, there was a petition for involuntary inpatient placement for Sanchez. The plaintiff was listed as The Vines, while Sanchez was listed as the defendant.</p><p>The next day, a Baker Act hearing was set, and another order for involuntary inpatient placement was noted.</p><p>There was another order, also on Nov. 14, appointing a guardian advocate. Beside the guardian advocate was the name Frances Sanchez, and in brackets, it said spouse.</p><p>Also on the same day, records state there was an order authorizing the guardian advocate to consent to the involuntary administration of medication.</p><p>On Nov. 29, it lists a notice of discharge with no explanation.</p><p>Scott Price, director of business development for The Vines, offered this statement Saturday night:</p><p>"Since becoming aware of the alleged incident, the management and staff of The Vines Hospital have cooperated fully with all the authorities concerned with this investigation and will continue to do so until its completion. The hospital is precluded from discussing specific details of any individual case due to strict patient confidentiality and privacy laws."</p>